Department of forensic medicine

 The department was founded in 1926 May 17 by the resolution of board of medical faculty of Yerevan State University.

Head of the department – Vardanyan Shota Arsen, doctor of medicine and law, professor

In 1926 May 17 the medical faculty board of Yerevan State University decided to add forensic medicine as a subject for the 5^th course medical students.

During different years the department was headed by

1927-1939 Egishe Tadevos Ter-Hovsepyan, doctor of medicine, professor.

1939-1953 Alexander Adam Hovsepyan, honorary medic, doctor of medicine, professor.

1953-1989 Norair Mkrtich Avagyan, doctor of medicine, professor, main forensic expert of Armenia. Forensic medicine was developing rapidly reaching great success in a short time period.

In 1954 Armenian department of forensic medics of all-union scientific society was organized.

From 1989 till now Shota Arsen Vardanyan, doctor of medicine, professor of medicine and law.

After collapse of the USSR, for the solution of problems raised in the Bureau of Forensic Medicine associated with personnel, their qualification, complicated examinations, as well as for the solution of the problems associated with lack or absence of personnel and equipment in the laboratories, the Collegium of Ministry of Health of Armenia united the department of forensic medicine of the YSMU after M.Heratsi with Forensic Medical Bureau of Ministry of Health, after which the service was renamed a Scientific-Practical Center of Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia, the director of which and main forensic expert of Ministry of Health of Armenia was assigned Shota Arsen Vardanyan.

Sh.A.Vardanyan is honorable member of some countries.

Education of subject of forensic medicine has cyclic course, which include lectures and practical classes. The duration of each cycle is 2 weeks /10 days/ for 6^th course students for the faculties of general medicine and military medicine and 1 week /5 days/ for 4^th course of the dentistry faculty. The cycle classes are carried out in Armenian, Russian and English languages.

Three textbooks, four handouts /in Armenian and English/ and fifteen educational-methodical handouts have been published by the workers of the forensic medical department.ա

Postgraduate teaching in the department is presented by clinical residency with two-year study, postgraduate study with three -year education and qualification of forensic-medical experts in 7 weeks duration .

The department does not have teaching-practical basis being located in the building of Scientific-Practical Center of Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia.

Scientific- practical work spheres in the department during different years involved heliobiology, problems of sudden death of newborn and adults, the influence of laser on the human body and clothes, forensic-medical description of firearms with silencer, forensic-medical diagnosis of injuries caused by pneumatic weapons, forensic-medical characteristics of injuries sustained in fires, features of forensic-medical expertise in cataclysms, identification by genetic and stomatologica l examinations. 5 doctorates and 22 theses so far were defended. 4 article journals, more than 11 monographies, 950 scientific articles were published both in Armenia and abroad, including Russian Federation.

The present scientific-practical topics include

1. Determination of time of death by knee joint fluid and its membranes.
2. History of development of forensic medicine in Armenia.
3. Paleopathology investigations.

The department collaborates with the departments of forensic medicine of Pavlov’s Saint Petersburg 1^st medical, Moscow medical stomatological university and national scientific institute of Paleontology and Ethnography, with who many united scientific works were performed in Armenia and abroad.

The main scientific achievements of the department include ”The connection of frequencies of sudden and violent death with some heliophysical, meteorological and other factors in Armenian city population’’, ‘’Laser and forensic medicine’’, ‘’Medical-criminalistic  application in cases of usage of firearms with silencer’’, ‘’Firearm injuries of garments and their description’’, ‘’Injuries caused by pneumatic shotguns’’, ‘’Poisonings by mushrooms containing psilocybin’’, ‘’Narcotics, tranquilizers and substances with strong influence’’ monographies, as well as theses defended concerning with aforementioned topics.